


The Secret Diary of Arielle Mahon

by Lesphantom



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-05-17 18:25:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14836886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lesphantom/pseuds/Lesphantom
Summary: A young woman starts a new job as a cold case investigator.  Her boss is none other than Ignis Scientia.   AU





	1. May 19, 2014

May 19, 2014

Today marks the first day of Arielle Mahon’s life as a cold case investigator. Not my dream job but it pays the bills. 

The first thing I noticed about the records building was that it was immense. It stood like a statue among the quaint little buildings in downtown Insomnia. I released a nervous sigh. 

I walked into the building and I went through the metal detector. I headed down the hallway to the offices. I double checked my phone, and I looked on a nearby directory sign to try and figure out where I was going.

“Lost?” came a male voice.

“Uh, yeah...” I said.

“What’re ya’ lookin’ for?” the man said, offering me a gentle smile.

I looked up at him, taking him in. He was dressed in an officer’s uniform but he looked FAR from the sterotypical cop. He had long brown hair and the beginnings of the scruff of a beard. His very presence made me cower a bit. His chocolate brown eyes danced as he grinned down at me.

“I’m… not entirely sure..” I said with a shrug.

“First day?” the man said.

“Am I THAT obvious?” I said.

He laughed. “Just a bit… I’m Gladio.”

“Ariella.” 

“Ah…You’re the new cold case chick.” Gladio said.

“Yeah… I guess..” I said.

“Follow me. I’ll set ya’ on the right track...”

“OK. Thanks!” I said with a smile.

I followed Gladio down a hallway. He made a sharp left and I found myself in front of an office. Gladio shot me a smile.

“Here ya’ go. Good luck!” said Gladio.

“Thank you for your help, Gladio.” 

“No problem! Don’t let Ignis push you around too much..”

“Ignis?”

“Your “boss” I guess.” said Gladio.

“Is he that bad?” I said, fear filling my stomach.

“If you don’t know your shit he is.” said Gladio, “If you’re willing to learn and work hard, he’s a pushover.”

“I’ll do my best….” 

“Good. He’ll like that.”

With that, Gladio and I parted ways. I took a deep breath before knocking on the door. A few seconds later, the door opened. A young man with ash brown hair stood before me. He adjusted his glasses and glanced at a watch on his wrist. He looked back at me in surprise, his green eyes wide.

“You’re… early?” a clipped British voice said.

“I was always taught to show up early rather than late. Especially on my first day.” I said with a smile.

“Very good.” the man said. “I’m Ignis Scientia, your new… associate. I’ve gone through seventeen people in the last two months. I do not tolerate incompetence.” 

“Yes sir. I will do my best.”

“Good. Let’s get started.” 

I nodded. Ignis opened the door fully and he let me in the office. I shut the door behind me and I rushed over to catch up to Ignis. He led me towards a small desk.

“This is your desk.” said Ignis.

I looked around the room slightly. There were tons of file cabinets but only two desks, facing away from each other. I dropped my purse on the desk, slipping my phone into the pocket. 

I continued following Ignis. We headed over to the large file cabinet. He turned to me, his long, slender fingers steepled.

“These are our cold case files. We get files from all over the world.”

“Neat.” I said.

Ignis smirked. “Yes, very. We typically will work on cases together, bouncing ideas off of each other. Ultimately, we’re deciding if cases should be re-opened and all evidence reviewed to convict someone… living or dead.”

“Right.” I said.

“Ready to start?”

“Yeah. Let’s see if I’m wasting your time or not.” I said.

“First case: The Cleveland Torso Murders...”

“Wait… as in Cleveland, Ohio?”

“You know it?”

“I’m from there...”

“Good. You may be useful for this then...”

“So! What do we got?”

“Thirteen murders in total.”

“Damn! Any similarities? All men or all women?”

Ignis looked slightly impressed for a minute. “Six women and seven men.”

“Oh, well, crap… Ages?”

“Anywhere from the late 20’s to late 40’s.”

“Damn! Professions?” 

“Good questions, Ms. Mahon! All the victims were vagrants or sex workers.”

“Well THAT’S interesting. And please, call me Ari or Arielle.”

“This case is from the 1930’s. Actually 1934 to 1938 to be precise. The likelyhood of someone being alive now is somewhat unlikely.”

“But its possible.” I said, “let’s continue.”

Ignis smiled slightly and his eyes went back to the case he held in his hands. “The weird part is that all of the bodies were beheaded.”

“Eesh.” I said.

“Very ‘eesh.’ Most of the bodies looked as though they had been expertly dissected.” 

“So someone with medical training must have committed the crime. Or at least assisted in committing it.”

“My thoughts exactly.” 

“So, let’s delve into this a bit more.” I said.

Ignis smiled and he opened the folder on my desk. “Right… Let’s look at each individual victim.” 

“Alright.”

“Only three were actually identified.”

“Three?! Holy crap!”

“Remember, this was before DNA testing...”

“Right, but still...”

“Do we know anything about the area this murder took place in?”

“Kingsbury Run, right?” 

“Yes.” 

“It’s a run down area in Shaker Heights… It’s a legit, scary place. Broken down buildings, roads are crappy, homeless people everywhere...”

“Great place for a murder then?”

“Great place for a murder. Yep.”

“So, the scene is definitely set… Now we can just imagine finding a body near the river, with no head… and just a torso.”

A chill ran down my spine. “That just freaks me out a bit...”

Ignis let out a small chuckle. “Get used to it...”

“Yeah. So the first body wasn’t identified?”

“No. There were remnants of body parts, thighs, legs… etc...”

“Hell of a way to go.” I looked at the file. “Leathery and red skin from a preservative...”

“That’s a weird thing as well. It seems as though the body parts were being saved for a certain time...”

I let out a sigh. “Weird. It also said that the body was three to four weeks old.”

“That’s odd...”

“Yeah, why would the murderer hold the body for that long...”

“Let’s move on to the second victim. This one was identified as a Mr. Edward Andrassy. He was a hospital orderly and he was found at the base of… don’t laugh… Jackass Hill.”

“It says his body was drained of blood… so.. was whoever killed him trying to embalm him or something?” 

“That’s a possibility… It also says he was emasculated...”

“They cut his … whoo ha… off?!”

Ignis let out a short laugh. “Whoo ha?”

“Yeah… Whoo ha...”

Ignis shook his head, laughing a bit. “Anyway, he also had rope burns on his wrists.”

“So he was held captive somehow or tied down...”

“Yes...”

“This case just gets more and more strange...”

“It’s about to get even stranger… The third body was found a little bit away from the scene of the second one a few hours later...”

“What?!”

“Yes. Another unidentified one. Male this time. 40 years of age… Decapitated, Emasculated and that preservative again.”

“OK, so whoever it is is using this preservative to keep the bodies… “fresh” until he can use them to plant whatever… right?”

“That’s how I understand it...”

“OK, victim four. Florence Polillo; wrapped in newspaper inside half bushel baskets.”

“Those aren’t very big...”

“Yeah.”

“Polillo was a sex worker, barmaid and waitress that worked near the place at which she was discovered.”

“Hmm. Do you think these are linked to a person who maybe frequented the place Polillo worked at?”

“It’s a possibility. Let’s move on.”

“Fifth victim… a severed head wrapped in trousers… The rest of the body was found in front of a police station the next day...”

“This guy was/ is bold...”

“Yeah. It’s crazy… A police station… This guy’s got balls.”

Ignis sighed, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes. “Sixth victim?”

“Forty year old unidentified man, found in the woods and had been dead for two months! There was blood on the ground around where he was found and he was just decapitated.”

“He’s getting antsy.” Ignis said, putting his glasses back on.

“Or it was done out of anger. This guy could have pissed him off.”

“That’s true. Moving on to our seventh victim… He was found near the train tracks and killed by decapitation in one stroke.”

“Wow. Just… wow...”

“I agree. One stroke. The confidence it must have taken to just swing a blade of some kind and KNOW you’ll hit your mark… It’s… mind boggling...”

“And it proves to me that this guy is a medical examiner, a surgeon or some type of medical doctor.”

“Exactly.”

“There’s still six more victims?! Holy crap...” I said.

“I think it’s break time...” said Ignis. “You’re doing an excellent job so far.”

I chuckled. “Thanks. I’m trying my best!”

“You’re doing much better than the last associate I had. He walked in, started listening to the first five minutes of the Ramsay case and left.”

“Like… Jon Benet-Ramsay?”

“Yes. A sad, sad case...”

“I agree. But a case that deserves the right judgement.”

“Yes.” Ignis said with a smile. 

He rose to his feet and he grabbed a can of coffee off of his desk. He took a long sip of it and he set it back down. He rejoined me a few minutes later. I took a minute to take him in. He looked tired, like he hadn’t had a good night sleep in a few nights. But he was still extremely handsome. He was wearing a pair of khaki colored dress pants with a matching vest. Under the vest was a stark white dress shirt. 

“So, Arielle… Tell me a bit about yourself before we continue with the grizly murders...”

I chuckled. “Well, I’m 27 years old. I live in a crappy apartment above an Italian restaurant and…. That’s about it...”

“What do you do for fun?”

“Fun? What is fun?” I said with a smile. “I like to play video games and I read a lot… Though admittedly not as much as I’d like to...”

Ignis smiled gently at me. “What kind of books do you like?”

“Anything really. I’m into the crime dramas and some romances… Fantasy stories work too.”

Ignis nodded as if he was making a mental note. We were silent for a while. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. It was more like a reflective silence.

“What about you?” I asked.

“What?” Ignis said.

“Tell me a little about you, Ignis. I just know your name...”

“Well, I am 28. I have been the lead of this department for the past 2 years. I like to cook and read a lot myself in my spare time…IF I have spare time. This job takes a lot out of you.”

“I bet.” I said. “Well, I’m willing to do whatever I can to make things easier on you.”

Ignis laughed. “I appreciate that, Arielle. I...uh… I also dabble in… ghost hunting a bit.”

“No way! Seriously? I’ve always wanted to do that but I’m too much of a chicken shit. I jump at like everything.”

Ignis chuckled. “I’m… a bit of a skeptic myself...”

“Then why do you do it?”

“It’s a lot of fun… Even if I don’t find anything, which I haven’t, it’s still kind of a thrill, you know.”

“Yeah for sure!”

“If things go well, maybe I’ll drag you with me sometime...”

“I’d like that.” I said with a smile. “So, shall we get back to it?”

“Yes, I suppose we shall.”

“OK, Victim number eight… Unidentified woman in her twenties. Parts only. Found on the shore of a pond.” 

“No mention of what parts were found?”

“Nope. Just says parts of victim number eight...”

“Damn! That doesn’t help us...”

“Sorry.”

“You weren’t the detectives or police back then, so it’s not your fault. Let’s keep going… Number nine. Rose Wallace. Found under the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge. A skull and a bag of bones...”

“What?!” 

“Yes… Quite vague...” Ignis said, letting out a sigh.

“Victim ten. Unidentified male mid to late thirties. Found in the Cuyahoga River. His heart was missing and his abdominal organs were missing as well.” 

“Well that’s just gutting...”

I chuckled. “Bad pun… very bad pun...”

Ignis laughed. “Yes, yes it was… Back to business. Victim eleven. Unidentified woman, found in the Cuyahoga River as well. This time, the victim had drugs in her system...”

“Drug addict?”

“Or… used to keep her from moving...”

“Yikes! Poor girl...”

“Yes. We can only hope she is no longer in pain.”

“Yeah… Anyway Victim twelve and thirteen… both unidentified. Found in front of Elliot Ness’s office window.”

“Damn! This guy really had balls. Elliot Ness was a big player in this.”

“Yeah. He was the safety director at the time right?”

“Yes. The mayor was breathing down his neck so to speak, so to have the last two victims in front of his window… It was almost like a death knell to his career.”

“Wow…”

“Ness took a bunch of men the following day and went down to the “hobo jungle” where all the vagrants and sex workers were staying. They rounded up 63 men and burned the houses down there after they were searched.”

“Holy hell.” 

“But I think that it was a smart move.”

“How so?”

“The people being targeted were vagrants and sex workers right?”

“Yeah… Oh… I see where this is going!”

“Right. Ness burned down the houses to protect the vagrants.”

“So, who do we have as prime suspects?”

Ignis flipped through the file. He opened one of the pages and laid it down in front of me. Two names with pictures sat in the opened file; Frank Dolezal and Dr. Frances E. Sweeney. Sweeney’s picture looked freaky.

“Dolezal was arrested for the murder of Florence Polillo. He lived with her and he knew the other two identified victims.”

“So they were following my initial train of thought with him.”

“Right.”

“The thing is he confessed to murdering Polillo, but he said he was beaten mercilessly until he said it. He had six broken ribs while in custody and the confession appeared to be coached.”

“Ow. That had to hurt.” I glanced at the sheet. “According to this, there were no details of the murder in Dolezal’s confession.”

“Something tells me that the police just wanted to have someone behind bars. They felt too much pressure from the mayor and the citizens of Cleveland.”

“True. Yeah...”

“Here’s where it gets weird. Dolezal committed suicide in his cell a month later. He hung himself on a hook five feet and seven inches from the ground. Frank Dolezal was five foot eight inches tall..”

“What… the …. “

“Exactly… That baffles me...”

“Yeah. That’s weird as hell.”

“According to the autopsy, Dolezal was not killed the way people were told he did but it doesn’t say he was murdered.”

“It’s just implied...”

“Right.”

“He was written off after that, right?” 

“Yes. The next suspect… Dr. Sweeney.”

I tried to supress a chill that ran down my spine. Ignis nodded, seeming to have noticed. 

“Me too.” said Ignis. 

“I think he did it.” I said.

Ignis nodded. “I do too, but let’s look at the evidence objectively.”

“Right. He was Elliot Ness’s secret suspect… He was a doctor, so he had anatomical knowledge. He was an alcoholic and he abused his wife. He would disappear for days. He checked himself into a mental institution. And the murders stopped. He was diagnosed as schizophrenic.”

“Ness took him to a hotel for 10-14 days and it took the bastard… I mean… it took him three days to sober up.”

“Son of a bitch…”

“He failed a lie detector test… twice.”

“So there’s the proof! Book his ass!”

Ignis laughed. “Can’t. The lie detector tests were done in secret. Though Miranda rights weren’t in place yet, Ness still violated Sweeney’s civil liberties.”

“Dammit. So Sweeney just… ran free?!”

“Yes… from the sound of it.”

“So, this wasn’t enough to take him to trial...”

“Nope.”

“Dammit!!”

“Wait, don’t lose hope yet. There was a vagrant around the time of the murders who said a doctor tried to drug him. When asked by police to show them where he was taken, he pin pointed the location to the place where Sweeney’s office was.”

“And we still don’t have enough evidence to book him?!”

“Nope.” Ignis said, with a sigh, running his hand through his hair. “Because, Ness was so sneaky about how he did things, he lost the biggest lead in the world.”

“God dammit Ness!”

“My sentiments exactly...”

“That’s disappointing...”

“Very...” Ignis said. “Nothing we can do with this case unfortunately.”

“Yeah… ugh.” 

“It’s lunch time.” Ignis said.

“Alright.” I said.

“Meet back here at 1:30. We’ll crack open another case.”

“OK.”

Ignis grabbed his keys from his desk and he headed out the door. I walked out of the office and I nearly ran head first into Gladio.

“Hey.” 

“Hey! How’d things go this morning?”

“I think they went well… I hope they went well...”

“Well, I’ll say this, you’ve lasted longer than the last four.”

I chuckled. “How long was the longest one here?”

“Two weeks.”

“TWO WEEKS?!” 

“Yeah. Iggy can be annoying sometimes.”

“I’m not annoyed yet...”

“Yet!” said Gladio with a chuckle. “You headin’ off to lunch then?”

“Yep.”

“You want some company?”

“Sure! I could use some.” I said.

Gladio and I headed toward the employee lunch room and we ate lunch. We laughed and talked a bit. I learned more about Gladio as we ate.

“I’m 28 and I have been working as a security guard since last year.” Gladio said. “I like working on cars when I’m not working.”

I chuckled. “I know nothing about cars… I know how to turn it on and off and use the radio.”

He laughed. “Well, think of it this way, at least you know how to do that.”

“True… True...”

“Well, maybe I could show you my car after work?”

“Sure. I’d like that.. I’d better head back.” 

“Yeah. You don’t wanna see Ignis pissed off.”

I laughed. “I’ll meet you out front after work?”

Gladio nodded. “Yep! See ya then!”

I went back to the office, impressing myself for a moment that I didn’t get lost. I opened the door and I slipped inside, stashing my purse in my desk drawer. I opened my computer for the first time that day and I got things set up with that.

“Did you enjoy your lunch?” Ignis said.

“Yes. Very much. I had lunch with Gladio.”

Ignis nodded. “He’s a good man. I like him.”

“He speaks highly of you as well.”

Ignis smiled slightly. “Right, OK. Next case… William Desmond Taylor.”

“Um… excuse my ignorance but… who?”

Ignis chuckled. “William Desmond Taylor. He was a big time director in the 1920’s.”

“We’re going even further back in time…?”

“These are your warm up cases. I have to see what I’m working with here.”

“Still testing me huh? I gotta know… Did I pass the first test?”

“Yes. With flying colors. I’m not too worried about this one with you. I may have you take point on this one. Use that head of yours. I’ll be here for you to bounce ideas off of but that’s all I’ll do.”

“Fair enough.” I said.

Ignis slapped the folder on the desk in front of me. He nodded at me as I opened it, revealing a load of pictures and papers to review. I took a deep breath and dove in. 

“William Desmond Taylor was born in Carlow, Ireland on April 26,1872. He was known to his friends as Bill… He was killed on February 2nd 1922. So that made him 49… ish.” 

“Ish?”

“He didn’t make it to his 50th birthday. He directed more than forty films for what is now known as Paramount. He was well-liked, respected and seen as a leading filmmaker.”

“So why was he killed? If he was so well-liked?”

“Even people who are well-liked, have enemies.”

“Well done, Arielle.”

“Thank you. Anyway, diving back in, let’s examine the scene of the crime. The murder took place in Hollywood at a posh apartment on the corner of Maryland and Alvarado Streets. At 7:30 AM, Taylor’s valet Henry Peavey arrives at the apartment to make him breakfast. Upon opening the door, Peavey spots the obscured feet of his boss on the ground. He calls out to Taylor receiving no response. He cautiously enters in further in and he discovers the body of William Desmond Taylor. He was fully dressed, lying face up with blood around his mouth. No signs of a struggle are noted at this time and it is assumed he died of natural causes. Peavey’s shouts alert the neighbors, who were mostly Hollywood starlets, and they gradually shuffle into Taylor’s apartment.”

“So, we’re dealing with the possibility of contamination of evidence.”

“Right.”

“Continue...”

“At 8 am, the police arrive, and at 8:40 am the coroner, William MacDonald, arrives to move and examine the body for the coroner’s report. When they lifted Taylor’s body, they found a pool of blood. So natural causes is out. They found a .38 caliber bullet that entered the left side of his back. According to the report, officials believed that his arms were raised at the time he was shot due to the placement of the bullet hole in his vest. They also believe that Taylor may have been embracing someone.”

“That’s weird.”

“Yeah. For real. The logistics of that are even… how would you… hmmm.”

Ignis chuckled. “I can see smoke, Arielle.”

“Ha ha ha. Very funny...”

“Wait, did it say anything about an exit wound?”

I skimmed the notes. “It said there WAS an exit wound...”

“Then wouldn’t the person who shot him be shot too…?”

“Unless they planned for an exit wound...”

“Good point...” said Ignis.

“Shall we continue?”

“Yes. Proceed.” 

It was quiet for a moment as I read through some of the report.

“It says here that there may have been a possible cover-up. The crime scene was definitely tampered with.”

“How so?”

“It says that at the time, “Paramount” studios was going through a bit of a crisis. They were dealing with a rape/murder trial of a comediene named Fatty Arbuckle, drug addictions by some of their most famous actors and a poisoning. It is believed that Paramount Studio manager Charles Eyton entered Taylor’s apartment and he took away some bootleg liquor, some letters and other evidence to avoid or minimize even more scandal for the movie studio.”

“...Wow. Sleazy Hollywood is sleazy.”

“Yeah… It is also believed that he planted false evidence to hide something.”

“But what?”

“Exactly… The detective in charge of the case, Edward King, believed that Paramount was taking measures to keep their stars silent so as not to implicate the studio itself.”

“What about the night of the murder?”

“If we go via a timeline, at 7:45 pm, Mabel Normand, a Hollywood comedy star, leaves Taylor’s home and is now known as the last person to see Taylor alive. She is driven off by her chauffeur William Davis. At 8:00 pm a sound that could have either been a backfire from a car or a gunshot is heard by actor Douglas MacLean and his wife Faith. This “gunshot” is also heard by the apartment manager, who writes it off when no other disturbance follows.”

“Why would someone write off a gunshot?!”

“Ignis, think about it. If you heard a sound that sounded like a gunshot right now, in this building, followed by nothing else, what would you do?”

“I’d check on the situation...”

“Well, that’s you… cuz you’re trained for that shit. But if you’re a normal citizen, what do you do?”

“...Good point… I’d think someone else may handle it. Someone who’s better equipped to handle that situation.”

“Exactly. I’d write it off as nothing too. Anyway, after hearing this sound Faith MacLean sees a man leaving Taylor’s home. She does not get a good look at his face but she does say that he is clean shaven, white, of medium build, dressed in dark clothing, wearing a cap and around five foot nine. She says that he was akin to her idea of a motion picture burglar. She also says that the man noticed her watching him but did nothing but turn back toward Taylor’s door, close it and leave.”

“That’s weird too. If I had just killed someone I wouldn’t want any witnesses to see me leaving the scene of the crime...”

“The plot thickens...”

“Yes, definitely it does… “

“At 8:15 pm Howard Fellows Taylor’s Chauffeur moves Taylor’s car into the garage. When he goes to drop off the keys, Taylor does not answer his door despite the lights being on. Well duh, cuz he’s dead…”

“Now Arielle...”

“Sorry, sorry… There is also a report here that two men said that an unknown man inquired where Taylor lived around 6:00pm on the night of the murder at a nearby gas station. He matched Faith MacLean’s description.”

“That’s weird….”

“If two guys are asking about someone and then the person they’re asking about mysteriously winds up dead, yeah, I’m gonna be checking those gas station guys for a description of the dude’s face….” 

“I agree whole heartedly! Right, let’s check into our suspects...”

“Ok so we’ve got a few here. There’s Edward F. Sands, Mary Miles Minter, Charlotte Shelby and Margaret Gibson. Let’s start with Edward F. Sands. Sands’ first year of employment with Taylor was smooth. In 1921 however, when Taylor went to Europe, Sands forged a bunch of checks and wrecked Taylor’s car. He stole jewelry, and cigarettes which he smoked on Taylor’s porch. Sands was fired not long after. Months after the firing, Taylor returned home and found the cigarettes crushed and smoked on the porch indicating that Sands had returned. Sands pawned the jewelry and he sent the tickets back to Taylor under his real name; William C. Deane-Tanner with a note that said “So sorry to inconvenience you even temporarily. Also observe the lesson of the forced sale of assets. A Merry Xmas and a happy and prosperous New year. Alias Jimmy V.” Handwriting analysis confirmed that Sands had written the note.”

“So Taylor was concealing something too…”

“Yeah...”

“Mary Miles Minter next?”

“Yep. She’s the typical Hollywood actress...except a little cray cray..”

“D-did you just say “cray-cray?””

I laughed. “Yeah, so?”

“Carry on...”

“She was 20 years old and wrote Taylor letters of her “undying love”. They were written in a schoolgirl crush fashion. Even after the murder, she would refer to Taylor as “my mate”. Minter had visited Taylor frequently, slipping out of the house late at night. She threw herself at Taylor while he tried to let her down gently. Edward King stated in a magazine that Taylor was troubled by Minter’s infatuation. King had interviewed Arthur Hoyt, Taylor’s friend and he said that Taylor had sworn him to secrecy. He had said that Minter arrived at his apartment at nearly three in the morning. He had insisted that she go home to which she said she’d make a scene. He finally got her to leave by driving her home. The night of the murder, three long blonde hairs were found on Taylor’s jacket and were determined to be Mary Miles Minter’s. It is theorized that Minter visited Taylor the night of the murder, throwing herself at him again. She threatened to shoot him or herself. He embraced her and the gun went off.”

“It’s a valid theory...”

“Yeah, but still the embrace thing bugs the hell out of me...”

“It could happen….”

“Anyway, Charlotte Shelby. Minter’s mother. The theory is that Shelby dressed like a man, found her daughter there and shot Taylor. Shelby was very possessive of her daughter. Shelby couldn’t act herself, so she lived vicariously through her daughter. Shelby was known for threatening directors with guns. Reportedly, Minter became involved with a director named James Kirkwood and he apparently got her pregnant. Shelby paid for the abortion and threatened Kirkwood with a .38 revolver. Any man who showed an interest in Mary or Mary had a thing for was fair game. Shelby is said to have burst into Taylor’s office and said “If I ever catch you hanging around Mary again, I’ll blow your goddamned brains out…” It’s also said that she faked her alibi. Her daughter Margaret said that Shelby was not home the night of the murder. Shelby claims that she was with actor Carl Stockdale between 7:30 and 9:30 pm the night of the murder. Shelby paid Carl Stockdale $200.00 a month for life after that...”

“A bribe to keep him quiet...”

“Or on her side.” 

“Either way...”

“She’s looking pretty suspecty...”

“Yes she is… but we’ve got one more….”

“Yeah. Margaret Gibson. Supposedly this guy named Ray Long lived in an apartment building next to a woman he knew as Pat Lewis. She was a friend of his mother’s. In 1964, Lewis had a heart attack and was looking for a priest to make a confession. When no priest could be found, she confessed to Long that she had been a silent film actress and she shot and killed a man named William Desmond Taylor. Back in the 20’s she lived in a halfway house and she was arrested for opium dealing.”

“So… this is an actual confession… And relatively new evidence.”

“And that’s all we have on her is her death bed confession.”

“A confession is a confession.”

“True...”

Ignis looked down at his watch. “So case dismissed.”

“Yep. Do I pass?”

“Yes. It’s after 5, so you’re free to go...”

“Oh. Ok.” 

I picked up my purse and I slung it over my shoulder. Ignis had a messenger bag over his shoulder and he was holding open the door for me. I shot him a smile. 

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.”

“Yep! Bye!”

I headed outside to find Gladio waiting for me. I gave the burly guard a smile and he grinned back at me. He extended his arm and he walked me over to a decent sized white pick up. 

“So this here is my pride and joy.”

I laughed. “Nice.”

“She’s not much but she’s mine.”

“Well that’s cool!”

“So, tell me truthfully, how was the first day?”

“It… wasn’t bad. It was a bit overwhelming, but I think I can handle it.”

“Good. Iggy seems to tolerate you at least...”

“Gee thanks!” I said.

“Didn’t mean any harm by it….” said Gladio.

“I know, I know.” I said. 

“So, you up to anything fun tonight?” said Gladio.

“Not really. I’m just gonna head home, eat some dinner and probably watch television...”

“Sounds riveting...” said Gladio with a grin.

“Yeah totally.” I said.

“Well, I’d better go. Have a good night and I’ll see you tomorrow.” said Gladio.

Gladio hopped into his truck and he drove off, giving me a wave. I sighed and I walked to where my car was parked. I jumped in and I drove off to my apartment. I walked into my apartment and I set my purse down on the table. I sighed and I opened my nearly empty fridge and pulled out a bottle of water.

Muffled below me, I heard the voices of Mr. and Mrs. Mancini screaming at each other as usual. I shook my head and sat on the couch. I turned the TV and I sighed. I heard the door to the restaurant slam downstairs. I stretched out on the couch and I fell asleep.


	2. July 3, 2014

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis and Arielle get to know each other better. A few cold cases and some ghosts may just bring them closer....

July 3, 2014

I arrived at work and I met Gladio at the door. He gave me a smile. 

“Hey.”

“Hi, Gladio.”

“You ok?”

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine...”

“You just seem a bit off.”

“Didn’t sleep well last night. That’s all.”

Gladio raised an eyebrow. “You sure?”

“Yeah. I’m good.”

I went through the metal detector. “So, I’ll see you later then? I don’t want to be late and have Ignis rip me a new one...”

Gladio chuckled. “He won’t. I think the man actually likes you.” 

I laughed. “yeah...”

“Good luck!”

“Thanks.” I said, walking into the office.

“Good morning!” Ignis greeted me cheerfully.

“’Mornin’!” I said with a smile.

“You ready to work on cases?”

“Yep! Who are we working on today?”

“Before we get started, I wanted to invite you on a little trip this weekend.”

“Oh? Where to?”

“I wanted to possibly visit Gettysburg. It’s said to be one of the most haunted places in the US.”

“And you’re wanting me to go with you?”

“If you’d like to… I’m not forcing you...”

“I’d love to Ignis.”

Ignis shot me a smile. “Alright then. We’ll leave tonight.”

“Right. Sounds good to me. I’ll be packed in five minutes.” I said with a laugh.

Ignis chuckled. “Now on to work matters… We’re going to discuss a very mysterious case today.”

“And that’s different from every other day, how?”

Ignis laughed. “So true… but yes, this one is… a doozy.”

“Alright. Let’s get going then.”

Ignis smiled. “Alright. Room 1046.”

“And that means…?”

Ignis laughed. “No no no.. That’s what the case is referred to as.”

“Oh. Now I feel like an idiot...” 

“Rookie mistake...”

“I know right?! I’m better than that! I guess I’m not awake yet...”

“Yes, you are. Anyway, on January 2, 1935 in Kansas City, Missouri a lone man checked into the Hotel President. He had no luggage aside from a comb and a toothbrush.”

“Ok… That’s already weird.”

“Yes, it is. He checked in under the name Roland T. Owen in room 1046. He was seen rarely throughout his stay. On January 3rd, the maid, Mary Soptic, stopped by to clean his room. It was around noon, when most people were out for the day. She was shocked to find his door locked from the inside.”

“From the inside?”

“Back then, there were two ways to lock your door in a hotel. If you were leaving for the day, you’d lock the outside door. If you were staying in, you’d lock the inside door.”

“That… seems a bit much...”

“And confusing...”

“Yeah…” 

I peered over at the folder, lying open on the table. Ignis turned the pages so I could read them better. The folder held pictures of this guy. He looked young… like… really young. He could have probably been 17 or 18…

“Soptic knocked on the door and Owen opened the door. She insisted she could come back later if Owen wished her to, but he insisted that she stay and clean.”

“Soptic found the room to be in complete darkness, the only light coming from a small table lamp.”

“So this gentleman enjoyed the darkness, huh?”

“Apparently so… It’s so weird already...”

“And it gets worse...”

“I knew you were gonna say that….”

“Owen mentioned that he had a friend coming to visit him shortly and would Soptic mind not locking the door. She agreed and Owen left the room.”

“Ok, so first, the dude shows up at a hotel and he doesn’t bring anything with him. Second, he’s sittin’ in the dark and the maid comes in to clean and he lets her. Now personally, if the maid wants to clean my room, she can wait until I’m not in it...”

“I’m with you. This… just doesn’t sit right...”

“Exactly. Especially with this next part. Four hours later, Soptic returned with fresh towels to find the door still unlocked. Owen was asleep, fully clothed, on his still made bed. A note was on his bedside table that read “Don, I will be back in 15 minutes. Wait.” Ok, if the dude is sleeping LEAVE THE ROOM!”

“Right? I feel the same. But it gets even weirder the next day, which is shocking because this is already really weird!”

“Where do you find these cases, Ignis?!?”

Ignis laughed. “They show up on my desk… or the file cabinet.”

“And of course right before you and I are going on a trip, we get this one...”

“I thought so too…” Ignis said with a laugh. “Anyhow, the next day, Soptic comes back again around 10:30 to make beds and finds Owen’s room to be locked from the OUTSIDE this time.”

“So he left?”

“...No. She opened the door with the master key and finds Owen sitting in the dark in the armchair in the corner of the room with the lights off.”

“Good Christ! That would scare the living hell out of me!”

“I think it would scare the living hell out of anyone. I don’t know if I like this situation...” Ignis said.

I looked over at my “boss”. He was really getting into this just like I was. It was refreshing to see him more relaxed the more I worked with him. I thought he was possibly getting used to me for once. I smiled a little.

“And we’re gonna move on… Right?”

“But of course. It’s like a book, even if I don’t like the situation a character is in, I have to keep reading to see what happens or I don’t have closure.” 

I laughed. “You and I are so much alike, in that regard...”

Ignis grinned at me. “So, the phone rang as Soptic cleaned and Owen picked up saying, “No, Don, I don’t want to eat. I am not hungry. I just had breakfast.” There was a pause before he said “No, I am not hungry,” and hung up.”

“So Owen got a breakfast invite… From this Don guy. Any idea who that could be?”

“None at all. The police didn’t know either. There was NO leads on this Don gentleman…”

“Shit...”

“Shit indeed.”

“Oh, get this… After the phone call, Owen began questioning Soptic about her job. Like how many rooms she had to clean etc… He also complained for the second time about the high prices of the neighboring hotel.”

“Wait… For the SECOND time?”

“Yeah… Apparently he complained about it when checked in too...”

Ignis went quiet for a while. He crossed the room to his computer on his desk. He quickly typed a few things into the Google search bar. He stared at the screen, his green eyes darting around it.

“So, the Hotel President had only one other neighboring hotel but there’s no real record of how much the rooms there would have cost… Damn… I was hoping I could add that into our report...”

“Sorry.”

He looked at me. “Not your fault at all, Arielle. Let us continue. Soptic returned to Owen’s room later that day with fresh towels once more and she heard shouting. When she knocked and announced she had fresh towels, a loud voice that wasn’t Owen’s told her to leave...”

“Well, we’ve found Don...”

“Apparently so.. and he doesn’t sound very friendly.”

“Yeah. Poor lady just had towels...”

Ignis chuckled, reading over the next part. “I suppose to fill in the gaps in the story, we have to rely on two witness testimonies...”

“Interesting. Shoot.”

“The first testimony is from a woman named Jean Owen.”

“Wait...”

“No relation to Roland...”

“Took the words out of my mouth, Ignis...”

Ignis smiled. “Her testimony is as follows: “I heard a lot of noise… It consisted largely of men and a woman talking loudly and cursing.”

“Where was her room?”

“1048. Right next door to Owen’s.”

“Hmmm… Men and a woman’s voice. The plot thickens...”

“Exactly.. The second testimony doesn’t even seem relevant at all...”

“Let’s hear it anyway..”

“A… erm… ‘Commercial woman...’”

“A whore...”

Ignis laughed. “Way to come out and say it, Arielle!”

I shrugged. “It’s what I do...”

“Anyway…. A…lady of the night who frequented the rooms of male patrons was trying to find a man in room 1026. When she could not find him after an hour, she gave up and left.”

“Wait…. 1026? Maybe she meant 1046…?”

“Exactly… Doesn’t seem relevant...”

“And why would she search for the room for an hour before giving up? Somethin’s fishy with that….”

“Good point. A… lady like that… her time's precious. She gets paid for it...”

“Exactly. She wouldn’t waste time like that...”

“It pays to have a competent partner...”

I smiled. “Aww, Ignis, you’re making me blush...”

Ignis chuckled. He seemed to turn a shade of pink himself. I smiled. He flipped through the folder again, pulling out another sheet of paper. He set it on top of the ones we were going through.

“January 5th. The bellhop received a call from the telephone operator saying that the phone in room 1046 had been off the hook for 10 minutes. The bellhop went to check on Owen. The door was locked and a do not disturb sign was hanging on the door. The bellhop knocked on the door and Owen told him to enter. The bellhop told him that the door was locked and he received no answer. The bellhop knocked once again and he told Owen to put his phone back on the receiver, assuming he was drunk.”

“So… Owen partied too hard...”

“According to the first part of this… It goes on… An hour and a half later, the bellhop received another call from the operator saying that the phone was still off the hook. The bellhop let himself into Owen’s room using the master key. Owen was lying on the bed naked, and seemed like he was drunk. Not wanting to deal with him, the bellhop righted the phone and locked the door behind him, reporting Owen to his manager.”

“So Owen got reported for gettin’ drunk?” I did a quick search on my phone. “Prohibition ended in 1933. This took place in 1935… What kinda reporting did this dumbass do?”

“Good question… A question to which I have no answer.” 

“Right. Moving on…”

Ignis threw the page on the table after he skimmed it. “It’s awful….”

I raised an eyebrow. “What is…?”

Ignis pointed to the page. “Read it… Out loud if you want to… but God, it’s bad...”

I picked up the page with shaking hands and I began reading. “The phone operator calls again an hour later with the same story. The bellhop goes to the room again and finds… a blood bath?”

Ignis nodded at me. “Keep going….”

“Owen was in the corner of the room, head in his hands, suffering from multiple stab wounds…. How in the...”

“Ari, keep going...”

“Bedsheets, Towels and the walls were stained with blood… Oh God...” I said, throwing the page down on the table.

“I told you..”

“Poor dude…”

Ignis picked up the page once more, having composed himself a bit. “The bellhop immediately called the police who took Owen to the hospital where doctors discovered that he’d been tortured. His arms, legs and neck had been restrained. His chest had multiple stab wounds. He had a punctured lung and a fractured skull...”

“So when he seemed like he was drunk… He was probably dazed… and suffering from a major concussion among other things...”

“Right. Owen was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after arriving.” Ignis said, throwing the page down. “Fuck...”

“What kind of monster does that?” I said. “I mean seriously!”

“I agree. It makes me sick.”

“I don’t know about you, but I need a break…” 

“Yes. Great idea… We’ll get into the investigative report after a fifteen minute break.”

“Yeah...”

Ignis pushed the case file to the opposite side of the desk and he let out a deep sigh. He pulled his glasses off the bridge of his nose and he tossed them on the table.

“This is taking a bit of a toll on you isn’t it?”

“Hence the reason I want to go to Gettysburg this weekend...”

“You OK? Anything I can do?”

“I’m fine… Just… feeling a bit… overwhelmed. Like I need a break.”

“If you want to take a few days, I’m sure I could try and solve a case or two on my own. Put myself in your shoes for once.”

Ignis smiled. “Honestly, since you started, the work load has gotten a bit easier to deal with.”

“Good to know you’re accepting me I guess...”

Ignis chuckled. “Yes. I can’t believe you’ve been here with me over a month already… You’re the longest one yet.”

“You’re not that bad to work with.” I said.

“Because you know your stuff, Arielle. Or at least you fake it well...”

I laughed. “I fake it very well… Besides, I like working with you. You’ve got a passion for things you do. It shows in the discussions we have. You get into cases, like this one, and it tears you up when bad things happen. You’ve got fire, dude.”

Ignis laughed. “Thanks, Arielle. I’ve noticed a bit of that fire in you too. I think that’s why we work so well together. We’re like made of the same mold I think… or at least something similar.”

I laughed. “Right. So… Gettysburg for ghost hunting huh?”

“Yes. Have you been to Gettysburg before?”

“Yep! I am a major history buff and I love anything or any place with historical significance.”

“So a trip to Salem, Massachusetts would interest you too?”

“God yes! It’s weird but I’ve always wanted to go there.”

“Me too… That’s another hot spot for ghost activity.”

“You really like this ghost hunting thing...”

“Yes. It’s a passion of mine… I’d love to get my hands on a spirit box.”

“Isn’t that the thing that’s like flipping through channels on a radio…?”

“Yes. I just don’t have the time to get one.”

I smiled slightly. “It would be awesome to have one though. Contacting ghosts and communicating with them… That just sounds awesome!”

“Yes it does.” He let out a sigh. “Well, you ready to jump into the investigation?”

“Sure.” I said.

Ignis plucked his glasses from the table and he pulled the folder closer once more. “OK, no record of a murder weapon in Owen’s room. Detectives found four fingerprints which they were unable to identify.”

“Damn. Poor guy gets whacked and there’s no trail at all.”

“Whoa...” Ignis said. 

“What? What’s up?”

“Roland T. Owen never existed...”

“Wait a minute… what?!”

“It was an alias!”

“That’s a huge twist!”

“Right!”

I looked at the page. “Newspapers printed a story to try and find out his true identity but nothing ever turned up.”

“So sad… He was beaten to a pulp and tortured and no one wanted to claim him.”

“Yeah so sad...”

“Well, according to this, detectives decided to bury the body and printed the obituary in the paper. They received a donation to cover funeral costs and a bouquet of flowers with a letter that read: “Love forever~ Lucille.””

“Lucille...”

“Possibly the woman in the room with them..”

“Right… But still...”

“A year later, a woman named Ogletree claimed that Owen was her son and that his real name was Artemis Ogletree.”

“I prefer Roland T. Owen.”

“Me too…” said Ignis with a laugh. “And that’s all we have...”

“Seriously? That’s where his story ends...”

“No leads. No one to suspect aside from that Don gentleman… but we know nothing about him...”

“But we’re faced with the fact that the case is from 1935… So any evidence we could find now, aside from a confession, is… contaminated.”

“Yes. Dammit. I was so hoping we could bring his murderer to justice...”

“Me too.”

“Case still unsolved… Shit...”

“It’s OK. We’ll find one case one day…”

“Yes, but I was so hoping...”

“I know. It’ll be OK.”

“Well, would you like to try another case before we go to lunch?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Alright.” Ignis said. “This one is nicknamed the “Isdal Woman”.”

“Nicknamed?”

“There’s no known record of this woman’s name.”

“Jesus. Again, Ignis, where do you find these things?!”

“I know. Quite a depressing case load this week...”

“Right? What do we got with her?”

“She was found on November 29, 1970 on Mount Ulrikin in Isdalen Valley. Her body was partially-charred. They found phenobarbital sleeping pills, St. Hallvard liquor, partially charred plastic water bottles, fully burned plastic containers, remnants of rubber boots, a scarf, an umbrella, a watch, two earrings and a ring near her body.”

“Jesus...”

“Under the body was a fur hat which was found to contain small traces of petrol..”

“So the lady was burned...”

“Yes. The question is was she accidentally burned or burned with the intention of harm...”

I reached for the folder. “The autopsy concluded that the woman died from fenmal and carbon monoxide poisoning. What is Fenemal?”

“It’s a barbiturate that effects the central nervous system. It’s used for its anticonvulsive and sedative-hypnotic properties.”

“So she was… sedated… to say the least...”

“According to the report, they found a type of liquor with her. With what she was taking, she should not have been drinking when she was on this medication.”

“For sure…”

Ignis continued skimming through the report. “The test of her blood showed that she had consumed at least 50 sleeping pills...”

“50?!?!?!?!?!?!”

“That’s what it says...”

“Holy hell!”

“It also says that her face had been burned and her neck was bruised.”

“Wow… I just… I can’t even… wow...”

Ignis nodded, letting out a sigh. “I think an early lunch is in order...”

“Yeah, I agree. I can’t even think right now.”

“Yes...” said Ignis. “I’ll see you in about an hour, alright?”

“Alright, sounds good.” 

Ignis picked up his keys and he headed out the door to the office. I let out a sigh and I leaned back in my chair. I rubbed my tired eyes. I bent down and I grabbed my lunch bag from my desk drawer. I unpacked my lunch and I began eating alone. 

A few minutes later, Ignis walked in. He shot me a small smile and he pulled his chair over to my desk.

“Mind if I eat with you, Arielle?”

“Not at all Ignis.”

He smiled and he unwrapped his sandwich. He and I ate quietly for a few moments. Ignis wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin and he gave me a grin. 

“So, if you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?”

“What is this twenty questions?” I said with a slight smile.

“No, just… an effort to get to know you better.”

I smiled. “Well, I would love to go to Paris, but that’s so damn cliché it isn’t even funny. Plus I don’t know a lick of French… But I really want to visit London. As random as that may sound...”

“No, no. London is… well, it’s not a clean city...”

I laughed. “I don’t really care. I still want to visit.”

“I have a feeling that one day you’ll get to London...”

“Yeah right!”

Ignis smiled slightly and he continued eating. We finished our lunch and both of us stared at the folder on the desk. Ignis leaned back in his chair. I smiled. 

“You OK over there?”

“Huh? Yes.. Just lost in thought...”

“Ah, OK.”

“So, I’ve got a question for you that I probably should have asked when you first started.”

“Go for it.”

“What made you want to work here of all places?”

I shrugged. “It was better than my old job which was sitting behind a desk doing mindless paperwork like a damn zombie.”

Ignis chuckled. “This is better than that?” 

“I have a human I can interact with so, yes.” I said.

“I’ve been told that I’m barely human...” said Ignis, a sly smile playing on his face.

“Whoever told you that should be drug out into the street and shot...”

Ignis laughed. “Glad to know that my co-worker actually enjoys my company...”

“I do.” I said with a smile. 

Ignis grinned. Our eyes both slowly moved to the folder sitting on the desk between us once again. I reached for it and I started flipping through it.

“No time like the present huh?” I said with a shrug.

“Yes. I suppose so.” Ignis said with a sigh.

“OK, according to this, two suitcases were found at a train station that belonged to our mystery woman. Inside, there was 500 Deutsche mark, clothing with the labels removed, 130 Norwegian kroner, spoons, partial fingerprints on a pair of sunglasses, diary entries with coded places and dates, and 8 false passports.”

“8 false passports? Also, why were the labels on her clothing removed?” 

“No idea. That’s another strange thing to add to our list of crazy things...”

I passed Ignis the file, which he read through rather quickly.

“There are some allegations that she was a spy… Which I guess makes sense.”

“Yeah. And it explains the 8 passports...”

“Yes. On to witness statements?”

“Yeah, might as well...” I said.

“People said she wore wigs and spoke French, German, English and Dutch.”

“All ties in to the spy theory...”

“She changed rooms repeatedly after checking in...”

“...and she’s paranoid. You sure this chick wasn’t me in disguise?”

Ignis chuckled. “you’re not that paranoid are you?”

“Nah... I’m just sayin’...” I said.

I leaned over Ignis’ shoulder to read the next bit of the docier. I hadn’t noticed how good Ignis smelled. I tried vainly to push the scent to the back of my mind and focus on the case.

“Um… The staff at the last hotel she stayed at said that she was 5’4”, good-looking, with wide hips and small eyes… So, aside from the good-looking part, it is me...”

“Nah. You’ve got wide eyes...”

“Psh...” 

Ignis laughed. “Anyway… She was also 30-40 years old and smoked South State cigarettes.”

“She also kept to her room and she seemed to always be on guard.” 

“Hmm… She left her room on November 23, and paid in cash.”

“After no leads, the detectives had her buried in a zinc coffin, to preserve her body/ remains, on February 5, 1971.”

“Well, shit. Another case where there’s not enough evidence to re-open the case...”

“I’m tellin’ ya’, we’ll find one one day, Ignis...”

“I hope so…” 

Ignis let out a tired sigh and he slid his chair across the way to the desk. He grabbed another file from the small pile on his desk and he slid back over to my desk. He flopped it down between us.

“The Sodder Children?”

“Sounds like yet another depressing story.”

“Yeah. You up for that?”

“Yeah… Let’s dive in.”

“Alright…. On December 24, 1945 in Fayetteville, West Virginia, a fire consumed the home of George and Jennie Sodder and their children. George, Jennie and four of their nine children who were in the house survived.” 

“God dammit….” 

“I know...”

“OK, so, let’s look into some background. George Sodder immigrated to the US at the age of thirteen from Italy. When asked, he would not say why he left home. He worked on the railroads in Pennsylvania before eventually opening his own trucking company. He met his wife, who had also immigrated from Italy, soon after and in 1923 they had the first of their children. George’s business prospered and his family became one of the most respected middle class families in West Virginia. George was not shy about his opinions, especially his thoughts on Mussolini.”

“I can already see a motive...” 

“Yeah, me too..”

“Continue, if you would…”

“Sure. The last of their ten children, Sylvia, was born in 1943. Their eldest son, Joe, left home to serve in the military during World War II. In October 1945, a visiting salesman warned George that his house would “go up in smoke… and your children are going to be destroyed.” because of “...the dirty remarks you have been making about Mussolini.” In the days before the fire, George’s older sons noticed a strange car parked along the main highway watching the children as they returned home from school around Christmas.”

“What the hell...” Ignis said.

“Yeah… People are crazy...”

Ignis looked over at me. “You OK? You’re not really giving me much feedback right now...”

“Uh, yeah… I… It’s nothing. I’ll do better.”

“Arielle, are you sure everything’s OK?”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“OK...” Ignis said, eyeing me warily.

“...Moving on. The night of the fire, Marion Sodder, the eldest daughter, surprised her three younger sisters with toys from the dime store in which she worked. Martha, age 12, Jennie, age 8, and Betty, age 5, asked their mother if they could stay up past their bed time to play with their new toys. At 10:00 pm, mother Sodder told the children they could stay up later as long as 14 year old Maurice and 9 year old Louis remember to do their chores. George and the two oldest boys John age 23, and George Jr., age 16, were already asleep after helping their father all day. Mother Sodder took Sylvia, age 2, upstairs with her and she joined her husband in bed.”

“Typical Christmas night then.”

“Yeah, but something already feels off...”

“How so…?”

“I don’t know. I just have a bad feeling in my gut...”

“Hmm… Do you want to keep reading or do you want me to take over...”

“I can keep going… At 12:30am, the phone rang and mother Sodder went to answer it. It was what she assumed was a wrong number.”

“A phone call late at night...”

“Maybe to ensure the family was home?”

“Good thought, Arielle.”

“Wait… there’s more that happened at 12:30.. As mother Sodder was hanging up the phone, she noticed the downstairs lights were on and the curtains were not drawn, two things the children normally did before bed. Marion had fallen asleep on the couch. Jennie assumed the younger kids went up to the attic where they slept so she turned off the lights, drew the curtains and went to bed.”

“Lots of assumptions being made by Jennie Sodder...”

“Yeah. What if the kids got kidnapped before the fire started. Wouldn’t you, like, check the kids?”

Ignis shuddered. “That’s a horror movie waiting to happen...”

“You aren’t kidding...”

Ignis turned the folder toward him a bit as he read aloud. “At 1:00 am Jennie was awakened by the sound of an object hitting the house with a loud bang and a rolling noise. She wrote it off as nothing and went back to sleep.”

“An object hitting the house, the phone calls and the lights being on… Is there anything there about checking the front door to see if it was locked? I’m beginning to think the kids were kidnapped and then the house was burned down to try and take care of the rest of the family...”

“Very possibly…” Ignis said, skimming the notes. “I don’t see anything regarding the front door, but I think you may be on the right track, Arielle.”

I read from the folder still in Ignis’ hands. “At 1:30 she was awakened by the smell of smoke. She went to investigate and found that George’s office was on fire. She rushed in and woke her husband, who in turn woke the older sons. Both the parents and four of the children, Marion, Sylvia, John, and George Jr., escaped the house. They yelled to the children in the attic but could not go upstairs because the staircase was already up in flames.”

“So… They didn’t even try to rescue the other kids? Assuming they were up there that is...”

“I’m gettin’ to that… Marion ran to a neighbor’s house to call the fire department because the phones at the Sodder house did not work. They worked an hour prior… Someone cut the phone line?”

“It seems possible… But people didn’t have cell phones at that time… How in the hell would someone be able to relay information… Shit… Phone booths.” Ignis flipped through the various papers in the file. “I wish they’d include maps in this thing.”

“Could we pull one up online maybe?”

“Good thinking, Arielle.”

Ignis pushed himself over to his computer. His fingers clacked away at the keys as he searched via google for a map of where the Sodder house was located. He growled in mild frustration. 

“Nothing! Dammit!”

“Don’t sweat it, Ignis. We’ve got more in the folder to discuss so...”

“Alright… maybe we’ll find a new lead.”

“A driver on the road called to report the fire from a nearby tavern but he could not reach the operator. That makes me wonder a bit. If the phone lines in the tavern were cut as well...”

“That makes for a very interesting case...”

“That it does… Shall I continue?”

“Sure!” Ignis said with a slight smile.

“OK, so… George climbed the wall barefoot and he broke open the attic window, cutting his arm in the process. He and his sons intended to use a ladder but it wasn’t in its proper place. George also tried to pull both of his work trucks to use them to climb to the window but they failed to start, even though they started just fine earlier in the day.”

“Too many coincidences… I smell a rat.”

“Right?! I mean, I could see misplacing a ladder, but the trucks failing to start?”

“Yes… both of them...”

“Yeah… I’m intrigued now...”

“Let’s continue… The house collapsed within 45 minutes. The fire department didn’t respond until later that morning. They were low on manpower due to the war and the fire chief… wasn’t able to drive the truck..”

“Um… what?” I said.

“I suppose rules were different back then?”

“We should double check that….”

Ignis grinned at me. “I’m impressed. You’ve improved over the last few weeks.”

“I try.” I said with a grin.

Ignis chuckled. “Anyway… The fire chief looked through the ashes upon arriving at the scene and he found no trace of bones. He claimed that the children were not in the house.”

“So, my suspicions were correct...” I said.

“In theory, yes.”

“Four days later, George Sodder bulldozed five feet of dirt over the ashes with the intention of turning it into a memorial garden.”

“So, he covered up evidence….” said Ignis.

“He was overcome with grief. Tell me, if your kids were in a fire...”

“I get it…” Ignis said shortly.

“OK… Anyway, death certificates for the children were issued on December 3oth, and the funeral was held on January 2, 1946. George and Jennie Sodder were too grief-stricken to attend but the surviving children did. Soon after the funeral, the family began to question the official account of what started the fire. A jury ruled that the house caught on fire due to faulty wiring. According to the younger Sodder children, the Christmas lights on the house remained on until the house crumbled.”

“Faulty wiring is out...” said Ignis.

“What the hell...” I said.

“Apparently the coincidences don’t end there… The ladder was found in a hole 75 feet away from the house and the phone line was cut. Good observation on your part Arielle!”

“Thank you.” I said. “I had a feeling that was the case…”

“The remains of the children were never found. According to an expert on cremation, bones remain after bodies are burned at 2,000 degrees farenheight for two hours.”

“Wow. So something is off, or that house was burning hotter than hell.”

“Yeah, you know it...”

“The Sodders still believed that their children were still alive. Witnesses claim to have seen the children peering out of a passing car. One woman at a rest stop said she served them breakfast. The car in which they were in had Florida license plates. To help them get some answers the family hired a private investigator. The investigator unearthed two very important facts. The salesman that came to the house prior to the fire was on the jury that ruled the fire an accident and the fire chief found a heart but he buried it in a box.” 

“I don’t like the fact that the fire chief withheld information until a private eye decided to come visit.”

“Right.” I said. “And the fact that the salesman didn’t reveal that he had met the Sodders previously.”

“Right. The family offered a $5000 reward for any of the five children. A woman claimed to see the children a week afterward in a hotel. They arrived with two men and two women. Both of Italian decent. They refused to let the woman speak to the children.”

“What the hell? That’s… either a really detailed lie, or a fucked up truth.”

“Yes… There’s more. Old George followed up on every lead. A report came in that Martha was held in a convent. It came out inconclusive. Louis reportedly lived in Texas with Maurice. George and Jennie received a letter with a picture of a young man in his 30’s who looked like Louis. On the back read, “Louis Sodder. I love brother Frankie. Illil boys A90132 or 35.””

“What the hell does that mean?” I said.

“I don’t know. It’s weird...” said Ignis. “A picture… a lead about a convent… It’s all so screwy.”

“Yeah. It kinda sucks.” I said. “According to this, it seems both parents looked until the day they died for their kids. Sylvia’s the only member of the Sodders still alive. She’s still looking for her siblings.”

“Damn… that’s so sad.”

“What is with us and sad stories today? I think the caseload is PMSing….”

Ignis laughed. “I don’t think it has that kind of technology, Arielle...”

“OK, Ignis, if PMS is technology, I think it needs to be dialed back...”

Ignis laughed. “True.”

Ignis’ cell phone rang. He jumped about a foot in the air. He pulled it out of his pocket and his eyes widened at the screen. He fumbled his phone a bit and he answered it.

“Hello?… Yes sir…The Jamison Case? Where? Red Oak, Oklahoma? Yes sir. My partner and I can be there as soon as possible…. Yes sir. We’ll report in. Yes. Bye now… Bit of a change of plans… or… a detour as it were.”

“What’s up?”

“We’re going to Eufaula/Red Oak, Oklahoma...” said Ignis. “We’ve got a lead on a case...”

“Oklahoma? Like seriously? But what about the trip to Gettysburg?”

“We’ll stop off in Oklahoma and then head to Gettysburg… We’ll lose a day, but I think we can make it work...”

“I hope so… Alright. So where exactly are we going?”

“Mr. Lucis-Caelum is going to text me the exact location. I’ll find out the address… We’ll meet back here in say… 20 minutes or so? And then go.”

“Right. Sounds good.”

Ignis grabbed a file from the desk and he stuck it in his bag. “If you don’t mind, we’ll read up on the case as we drive.”

“Right. Sounds good.” I said.

We gathered our things and we left the office. I waved goodbye to Gladio as we exited and I hopped into my car. I drove off to my apartment building and I packed some clothes as fast as I could. I rushed into the bathroom and I tossed a hairbrush, a thing of deodorant, a toothbrush and a few hair ties in my bag. I glanced at the bench by my front door. I smiled as I picked up a wrapped package and I tossed it in my bag. 

My phone dinged. I walked over and I picked it up. I had a text message. It was from Ignis. 

“yet another change of plans. Would you mind meeting me at my apartment? That way we know that your car won’t get towed.” 

“Sure, Ignis.”

“Here’s my address. 7138 Madison Rd. Apt #21”

“I’ll be there as soon as possible. Just finished packing.”

“Damn, you are fast.”

“LOL. I’ll see ya’ in a minute.”

I tossed my bag into the back of my car and I drove the two miles to Ignis’ house. I pulled into a parking spot and I saw Ignis exiting the apartment building. I hopped out and I shot him a smile. 

“Hey.”

“Hey. Just toss your stuff back here.” Ignis said, opening the trunk. 

I nodded and I tossed my duffle bag in the trunk. I hopped in the passenger seat of Ignis’ car and a few minutes later, he hopped in. We drove off to Red Oak, Oklahoma. Ignis passed me the folder.

“Since I’m driving, you have to read off the case.”

“That was the plan, Ignis.” I said.

“Alright then. What do we got?”

“Ok, looks like a dissappearance case. On October 8, 2009, Bobby Dale Jamison, Sherrilynn Jamison and their daughter Madyson Stormy Star Jamison were reported missing. Their pick up truck was discovered eight days after they went missing supposedly. The Jamison’s dog was found still alive, but malnourished inside the truck. Investigators also found IDs, wallets, phones, the GPS, Sherrilynn’s purse and $32,000 in cash stuffed underneath the driver’s seat.”

“Whoa. That’s a lot of money to have in cash.”

“Yeah, you’re tellin’ me!”

“Wonder why they had it...” Ignis said.

“I’m sure we’ll get a reason why later on in the file here. They always give us something….”

“True. Continue...”

“Alright so apparently, Bobby was involved in a lawsuit with his father Bobby Dean Jaimison. According to Bobby, his father had threatened the family’s lives. There is a restraining order on Bobby Dean, but the Red Oak and Eufaula police don’t seem to believe that he was involved.”

“They questioned him?”

“Apparently… It’s very unclear… I’ll go into some background on the family. Originally from Eufaula, Oklahoma, the family was looking to purchase a forty acre plot of land to build a home on. Until the house was built, however, the family claimed that they would be living on the land in… a storage container?”

“What?! So… they buy a plot of land, and live on it in a storage container?”

“Apparently so. That’s funky.”

“Yes. Very… I’m intrigued…” 

“Yeah. Apparently the family went up into the mountains to finalize the deal and went missing. Volunteers and policemen looked for the family within a ten mile radius of the area in which they found the truck. Drones and tracker dogs were also used in the search. Four years later, a group of deer hunters found the skeletal remains of two adults and one child. They were laying side by side, face down in the dirt 2.7 miles from where the truck had been found.” 

“That’s odd.”

“Yeah… very weird. Maybe they were hiding or something?”

“That’s plausable, but wouldn’t the drone have detected them?”

“Possibly… But technology is always flawed.”

“Good point.” 

“Oooh. Here’s some interesting information about the feud between Bobby and his dad. Apparently Bobby and his father co-owned a gas station. Bobby was owed half of the proceeds and Bobby Dean reneged on the deal. Bobby Dean had threatened to kill them twice. Bobby installed a security camera and placed the restraining order. Things came to a frightening head and it was rumored that Bobby Dean had ties with the Mexican Mafia. Sherrilynn’s mother said that Sherrilynn and Bobby were scared of Bobby Dean. Bobby Dean had an alibi, saying that he was hospitalized at the time of the disappearance.”

“That’s a new tidbit of information…”

“Yeah. It’s a bit crazy but eh… There’s a theory here that they were drug dealers. Which would explain the large amounts of money in the vehicle. A family friend debunked this theory saying that the Jamisons always carried large sums of cash with them.”

“But the true question is was this family friend a reliable witness?”

“No idea… But there’s a rumor that they were dealing meth...”

“So them doing drugs and selling them is still on the table.”

“Yep! Sherrilynn’s mother, however, believes that the family was killed by a violent cult. A book on witchcraft was discovered in the Jamison home and some type of witchcraft bible was found in Sherrilyn’s bed side table.”

“So that solidifies that theory… Anything else in there?”

“Just that there’s a video that we should find time to watch…”

“What kind of video?”

“The survellance camera footage from Bobby and Sherrilynn’s security camera.”

“Ooh. That’d give us pretty good insight into what they were like the day before their disappearance.”

“Yeah. There’s lots of reports of them acting strange…”

We drove on in relative silence. I watched the open plains of the State of Oklahoma pass by. We turned into a small-ish police station a few miles after we got off the exit. Ignis parked the car and we walked in, file in hand.

“Hello. We’re here to help investigate the Jamison case...” Ignis said as we approached the desk.

“AH! So you two are the ones from Insomnia! Come on back.” a woman with a thick accent said. 

“Thank you.” said Ignis. 

He and I walked in the back. The woman led us to a room after tapping someone on the shoulder and sending them up front. The room was small. It was almost like an interrogation room. I suddenly felt very intimidated. 

“I’m Cindy by the way. We got back the analysis on the bones found at the scene of the crime.”

Cindy slid a folder at Ignis from across the table. Ignis glanced at the report. He nodded and he slid it over to me. I flipped through it. I nodded as well. The report confirmed the fact that the bones did belong to the Jamison’s. 

“I don’t know what exactly this proves, but...” Cindy said.

“It helps. Thank you...” Ignis said.

“You’re welcome.” Cindy said with a smile. 

“Cindy, do you by any chance have a computer we could use momentarily? It is in regards to the case...”

“Of course, sugar. It’s in the corner over there.”

“Thanks.” Ignis said.

Cindy left the room and Ignis turned to me. I handed him the drive on which the surveilance footage was on, and I stepped back. Ignis gave me a look.

“You OK?”

I nodded. Ignis turned back to the screen and he clicked the appropriate buttons. A strange sight was before us.

Bobby and Sherrilynn Jamison were wandering about their truck, staring off into space and generally looking like two zombies. They’d move one at a time back into the house. Then they’d come back, load whatever they had in their hands and stare off into space. I felt a chill.

“Creepy...”

“Very… Did you get a chill just now as well?”

“Yeah… That makes me think that drugs are the culprit...”

“I don’t even know how to even explain that...”

“So… case sorta closed?”

“Yes. The bodies were found but yet, we have no leads to go on. Especially since the only major suspect had an alibi.” said Ignis.

“Lame...” I said.

“Yes very. Shall we?”

“Yep!”

We left the small police station and we began our drive to Gettysburg. 

“Are you sure you’re OK, Ari?”

“Yeah. I just felt very intimidated in there… I have no idea why, but...”

“It’s alright, I was just concerned.”

“Thanks for your concern, Ignis.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome. Where would you like to stop for dinner?”

I shrugged. “I’m up for anything.”

“Alright. Are you hungry now?”

“I’m not starving, but I could eat something...”

“Would you mind terribly if we stopped in about a half an hour or so? I want to at least get out of Oklahoma.”

“That’s fine...”

“Alright then.”

Ignis drove on for a while in silence. I didn’t want to say anything to disturb him. He shifted in his seat a bit. 

“Hey, Ari?”

“Yes, Ignis?”

“You excited or nervous about ghost hunting?”

“A bit of both.” I said with a chuckle.

“So! What haunted attractions should we visit?”

“Hmm.. For sure the Jennie Wade house. That’s like my favorite place...”

“Jennie Wade… The only civilian casualty in the battle of Gettysburg.”

“Yep! The last time I went I read so many books on her after I got back...”

“So you’ll be my guide then…”

“Sounds good to me...”

“I’ll make the call for an overnight there if you wish.”

“Are you serious?! That’d be amazing!”

Ignis smiled. I was giddy as could be. I supressed the urge to squeal audibly. Ignis seemed to tell and he chuckled.

“If we have time, I’d like to check out the Hoffman Mansion.”

“I’ve… actually never heard of that...”

“Really? Well, we must make time for it then. Unfortunately, it’s one of those things that we’d have to do with a large group.”

“That’s fine. Don’t ghosts appear more to large groups of people with lots of energy?”

“True. That is possible...”

I grinned at Ignis. He seemed much more relaxed now. He was actually leaning back in his seat as he drove. My grin got bigger thinking about how he would react to the gift I was going to give him.

“Why are you grinning like that, Ari?” Ignis said with a smile.

“Oh, no reason...”

“I’ve known you for a month and I can already tell when you’re being sneaky. Spill.”

I grinned again. “No.”

He laughed, shaking his head. “This weekend’s going to be a blast...”

“Yeah, it is...”

“I can’t wait until we get there!”

“That’s not obvious at all Ignis...” I said with a grin.

Ignis laughed. “Thanks for tagging along with me, Ari. I’ll do my best to make the trip as fun as possible.”

“Hey, don’t try and make it fun. Just let it naturally flow. I’m already having fun.”

“Yes, because being in a car is riveting….” Ignis said, rolling his eyes.

I laughed. “No, being with you is fun. I’m seeing a side of you I don’t see at work… and I kinda like it.”

Ignis’ cheeks went a bit pink. “Thank you, I think...”

I chuckled. “So! Since car rides are so riveting… Wanna play a game?”

“What sort of game?”

“Hm… How about the singing game?”

“The… singing game?”

“Yeah, we used to play it all the time. And trust me, you don’t have to be self concious about your voice. I’m not gonna judge ya’.”

Ignis sighed. “Alright… What are the rules?”

“OK, rules are that I’ll start off singing a song, using a lyric from the song I’m singing, you connect it with another song.”

Ignis laughed. “Sounds interesting… Practice round…?”

“Sure. Lemme think of a song… Ok… got it. Can’t you see what we’re fighting for, bloodlust in a holy war, listen up to the patriot’s shout...”

“…shout let it all out. These are the things I can do without come on…. I’m talking to you come on...”

“Eileen oh I swear what he means at this moment you mean everything...”

“I need… I talk about her I go on and on and on cuz she’s everything to me. She’s a Saturday...”

“...in the park, I think it was the fourth of July… People dancing, people laughing, a man selling ice cream, singing Italian songs...”

“…that make the whole world sing….”

“...sing a song make it simple to last your whole life long….”

“...ago and far away, I dreamed a dream...”

“...in times gone by when hope was high and life worth living. I dreamed that love would never die I dreamed that God would be forgiving then I was young and unafraid And dreams were made and used and wasted...”

“...Time. The autumn leaves have got you thinking about the first time that you fell. You didn’t love the boy too much no no you just loved the boy to well. Farewell. So you live from day to day and you dream about tomorrow….”

“...bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow…. there’ll be sun...”

“Dammit!!” 

I laughed. “Nice job! We went pretty far...”

“I can’t carry a tune can I?”

“You did fine… As I said, I’m not judging...”

Ignis grinned. “That was… dare I say… kind of fun… It makes you think on the spot.”

“For sure. There’s a movie one like that too.”

“Movie one?” Ignis said.

“Where you name an actor or actress and you connect them with another actor by a movie.. Like, if I said Elijah Wood, you’d say Lord of the Rings. Then I’d have to figure out another actor who was in Lord of the Rings...”

“That sounds easy...”

“But you can’t repeat or be wrong.”

“Let’s try it… We’ve got a bit further until we’re out of Oklahoma...”

“Alright. You wanna include TV shows as well? Might make things interesting….”

“Oooh. Sure.”

“You wanna start?”

“Sure. Robert DeNiro.”

“Heat.”

“Al Pacino.”

“Scarface.”

“...shit…. Um… Michelle Pfifer?”

“Good.. Grease II.”

“Didi Conn”

“Grease.”

“… not fair… John Travolta.”

“Phenomenon. Love that movie...”

“Forest Whittaker.”

“ooh… I love him…. Um….The Butler.”

“Great movie… Oprah.”

“The Color Purple.”

“Whoopi Golberg.”

“Ghost.”

“Patrick Swayze.”

“My guilty pleasure movie… Dirty Dancing….”

Ignis laughed. “Seriously?”

“I had the dances down for it and everything… and I’m embarassed...”

Ignis laughed harder. “And shit I just lost….”

I laughed. “That’s OK. That was fun though...”

“Yes it was.” Ignis said. “I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. My cheeks hurt.”

I laughed. “Glad I could oblige.”

Ignis chuckled. “Alright, now what?”

I shrugged. “I’m out of ideas...”

“I’ve got one. Let’s do a sort of truth or dare.”

“Uh oh. Should I be afraid…?”

“Yes. Very.” Ignis said with a smile.

“We can’t exactly do dares though...”

“True. So it’s truth or truth.”

“OK?” I said confused.

Ignis sighed. “What I’m trying to say is that I sort of want to play a twenty questions type game but it’s to get to know you even better.”

“OK. Let’s set some parimeters then.”

“Such as?”

“Is anything off limits?”

“Nope. I got nothin’ to hide.”

“Me either. Let’s do this then.”

“OK, so me first. You mentioned you live over an Italian restaurant. Which one?”

“Mancini’s.”

“They have apartments over that?”

“Technically it’s not really an apartment per se… It’s… It’s complicated...”

“I’m listening...”

I sighed. “My parents know Mr. and Mrs. Mancini. I couldn’t find a place close to where I worked at the time and I wasn’t driving yet. Mr. and Mrs. Mancini rented me a room out of their place over the restaurant.”

“I sense that there’s more to that story.”

I nodded. “There is. Mr. and Mrs. Mancini got a divorce soon after. I was sort of torn down the middle. Both Mancini’s eventually moved out of the apartment above the restaurant, so I have the whole place to myself, but I feel weird about it. They still pay for the apartment just for me to live there. Talk about feeling guilty… Not to mention that every night I can hear them fighting below me.”

“Have you looked for a new place to live?”

“All of ‘em are out of my current budget for now.”

“Have you thought of getting a roommate? Someone to help split costs?”

“None of my friends are trustworthy enough.”

“Man…. That blows…”

“I raised my own rent though. I pay Mr. and Mrs. Mancini way more than I did originally. I just feel horrible about the whole situation and there’s not much I can do to help.”

“It’ll get better.”

“It better! There’s no where to go but up...”

“Positive attitude is always a good start, Ari!”

I don’t know why I told Ignis the truth about everything. Though, it did feel good to tell someone not involved about it. I shifted in my seat a bit.

“My turn.” I said with a grin. “So, why are you working with the cold cases and crime stuff at the police station?”

“I didn’t always work with the cold cases. I was actually an on the beat cop. I worked crazy hours… I rarely slept… That whole thing...”

“You… were an actual cop?”

“Homicide division… I saw lots of murders and the pure evil that people can do to other people. I actually got injured on the job and when I got back, the big wigs put me in charge of the cold cases.”

“How’d you get injured?” 

“Nearly died actually. Fell from a three-story building….”

“Holy shit!! Someone was looking out for you..”

“Yes. I broke almost every bone in my body and it took a long time for me to heal… but I’m here.”

“Yeah… And I’m glad you are...” 

Ignis looked over at me. “You think I’m in the right place then?”

“Yeah, yeah I do. You have heart, Ignis. I know I’ve said that before, but you really do. You throw everything you have into each of those cases, even the ones you know you won’t be able to solve.”

Ignis smiled. “It’s good to hear. Especially from someone other than my uncle...”

“Ah, there’s an uncle!”

Ignis chuckled. “Yes. My parents died when I was young so my uncle raised me.”

“Sorry to hear that, Ignis.”

“It’s OK. My turn again?”

“Yep! Shoot.”

“What’s your family like?”

“Well, I’ve got an older brother who can do no wrong and two step sisters who are little brats. My mom divorced my dad in 2012 and was remarried that same year. She was pregnant at the wedding and the twins are gonna be two in November. My dad and my brother own a mechanic shop in Ohio.”

“How’d you end up here?” said Ignis.

“I needed to get out. I’ve been living in Insomnia since the tail end of 2012.”

“I know how that is...” Ignis said. “I’ve been here since 2010 myself.”

“Nice.” I said.

“Well, I don’t know about you but I’m feeling rather peckish… You ready for food?”

“Yeah. My stomach’s makin’ that noise again...”

Ignis chuckled. “Yeah. I was pretending not to notice...”

“Oh ha ha.”

Ignis laughed. “What’re you feeling like?”

“I dunno…”

“How about… we do… Ponderosa?”

“They still have those?!”

“Yes, apparently...”

“All the ones in Ohio closed. I haven’t been to a Ponderosa in years...”

“All the more reason to go...”

Ignis pulled off at the next exit and we went in to eat. Ignis tossed me the keys.

“Wanna drive?”

“Sure. You OK?”

“Just feeling rather drained. I may nap if that’s alright.”

“Fine by me. Where’s the hotel we’re staying at?”

Ignis stifled a yawn. “It’s on the GPS. Just hit the “go” button.”

“Alright then. Get some rest.” 

Ignis nodded and he hopped into the passenger seat. I drove us down the highway toward Gettysburg. Moments later, Ignis’ soft snoring could be heard next to me. I smiled slightly and I continued driving. 

Three hours later, Ignis woke up and night had fallen. I glanced over at Ignis’ movement. 

“How was your nap?” I said.

“Too short…” Ignis said, groggy.

I chuckled. “You were out for close to three hours.”

“Sorry.” Ignis said, through a yawn.

“It’s OK. You didn’t miss much. Lots of cows...”

Ignis laughed. “Cows… Alright then...”

I laughed. “We’re about an hour away. Just chill.”

“You sure you’re OK to drive the rest of the way?”

“Yep. I may need a glass of wine when we get in, but...”

“That can be arranged.” Ignis said. “Oh, uh, speaking of getting in…. I uh… only booked one room.”

“Two beds?”

“Yes.”

“That’s fine.” I said.

Ignis nodded. “I had a feeling you’d be good with that...”

“Hey, we’re here to ghost hunt right? Who gives a shit about where ya’ sleep?”

Ignis laughed. “True that!”

I continued to drive until we reached the hotel. I looked at Ignis. He was grinning widely.

“Tillie Pierce House Inn… This place is haunted isn’t it?”

“Yep!” Ignis said. “You chickening out on me?”

“Hell no. Let’s go.” I said.

Ignis grinned and he ran in to check us in. The man was like a kid in a candy store. I calmly walked around the main lobby. I turned my head toward the fireplace. I did a double take. I saw a clear see through figure of a soldier sitting right next to the fireplace. He slowly turned his head toward me, laying a finger against his lips. He was wearing a confederate uniform and he had a large bandage around his head. There was a darkened area around his left eye. He then vanished. I took a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart. Ignis approached me, a concerned look on his face. 

“Ari, you OK?”

“Y-yeah. Yeah. I’m fine….”

“Did you see something?!” Ignis said, excitedly.

I nodded. “By the fire. He’s gone now though...”

Ignis’ eyes lit up. “When we get upstairs, you have to tell me what happened!” 

I chuckled and I grabbed my duffle from the floor. Ignis led the way up to the room. I struggled to keep up with him. Once we reached the room, Ignis ushered me inside. He sat on one of the two double beds.

“Spill.”

“OK, so I was waiting for you to check us in and I was just kinda looking around, right? I happened to land on the fireplace. Sitting in front of the fireplace was a confederate soldier. His head was all wrapped in what looked like gauze.. and like his eyes were all glowy...”

“A full bodied apparition the first few seconds we arrive… GOD I wish I had a spirit box...”

I smiled. “Well...”

I dug into my bag and I tossed him the wrapped present. He looked at me strangely.

“Ari, what is this?”

“Open the damn thing and find out.” I said.

Ignis opened it and his eyes lit up. Inside was a top of the line spirit box. I had bought it the second he told me he liked ghost hunting, hoping he didn't have one already. I smiled as I watched the emotions cross his features. He looked up at me. 

“Ari, I… I don’t know what to say...”

“Say you’ll use it, Ignis!”

“Why’d you buy me a spirit box?”

“Why not!”

Ignis laughed. “I feel like I’m gonna cry...”

“Please don’t. I’ll cry with you...”

Ignis laughed. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome. I think I grabbed some batteries too, so the damn thing’ll work for ya’.”

“Awesome! I… I’m still in shock!”

“So… you tired?”

“Not really...”

I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine. Ignis must have felt it too, because he scrambled to stick the batteries in the spirit box. I looked toward Ignis’ bed and next to it was another apparition. I thought Ignis was going to leap across the bed to get a picture. I held him back and I slowly pulled out my cell phone. I snapped a few pictures candidly, hoping they came out. Ignis’ hands were shaking as he switched on an audio recorder. 

“Hello...” Ignis’ voice rang out.

The recorder beeped and the ghost looked toward us. Her mouth was moving but no words were coming out. Ignis looked toward the recorder. It was lighting up like a firefly. Ignis shot me a look. 

“What’s your name?”

“Tilly...” a voice said.

“Hi Tilly. I’m Arielle and this is Ignis… we’re not going to hurt you, I promise. These devices we have help us communicate with you. How old are you?”

“15...”

I looked toward Ignis. He nodded. 

“What year is it?”

Tilly seemed to look at us with a weird look on her face. “It’s 1863...” 

Ignis was vainly trying to hold in his excitement. “Tilly, what is this place?”

“It’s just a farmhouse. But it’s being used as a hospital for now… I’m just assisting the surgeons as best I can...”

“Right...” I said.

“I have to go now… I’ll be back soon...” Tilly said.

“OK, thank you for talking with us...” I said.

Tilly vanished into thin air. Ignis let out a deep breath. 

“Oh. My. God...” I said.

“That was amazing!!!!” Ignis exclaimed.

“I know right?!”

I grinned over at Ignis. I understood now why he did this. The adrenaline rush itself was enough to freak out over. He smiled at me. 

“You were amazing with her! Were you nervous?”

“Extremely! It was nuts!”

“So… do you think we should ask to change rooms?”

“Nah! It’s an adventure!”

“Well, I don’t want Tilly waking us up every five minutes...”

“She won’t… I hope...”

Ignis chuckled. “C’mon. Let’s go investigate where your soldier was.”

We left the room. The hallways were fairly dark save a dim light illuminating the treacherous staircase. The lobby seemed to have closed after we checked in. Ignis clicked on a small flashlight attached to his keys. He released a sigh and took a seat near the fireplace. I felt slightly more brave and I sat on the ledge in front of the fire. 

The apparition reappeared. He seemed slightly startled by my presence. I looked to Ignis who nodded.

“Hello again...” I said.

The soldier nodded slowly toward me as if reading me before speaking. “Are you a nurse?”

“Unfortunately no… Are you well?”

“...My head is killing me...”

“I.. see that… What’s your name? I need to tell the nurse...”

“John. John Donnington… please hurry...”

“I’ll try, John...”

I crossed the room, breathing out through my mouth. Up close, it was as if I was talking to an actual person. My heart went out to John… Moments later, Tilly’s ghost came down the stairs. She crossed to the fire and she sat near John. Ignis looked over at me. I slid my cell phone out of my pocket and I pressed record.

“John… It’s going to be alright… My name’s Tilly… I’m going to wrap the wound in your head to try and stop the bleeding. Is that alright with you?”

John nodded. “Yes.”

We watched the two ghosts interact with each other until they faded away into nothingness. Ignis nodded and he headed back toward me. 

“How’d he look up close?” Ignis asked as we climbed the stairs.

“Like someone who’d been shot… It was weird. It was like talking to an actual person, but the person wasn’t really there, you know?”

“I know exactly what you mean...”

“Tonight has just been… wow… I mean seriously… If the rest of the trip is ANYTHING like this, I’ll be thrilled.”

“So, have I hooked you?”

“Hell yes! The interaction between Tilly and John just there… I mean...”

“It’s absolutely breathtaking that we’ve seen two full bodied apparitions in the first hour we’ve been here.”

“Yeah… It’s… just… wow...”

“Haven’t had much of a need of that spirit box yet…”

“Did you by any chance record any of the conversation with John?”

“Yep! All of it.”

“Awesome!”

“You seem to bring out the ghosts so to speak, Ari.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I guess...”

Ignis held back a yawn. “Well, I hope Tilly doesn’t keep us up all night. I’m ready to hit the sack.”

“Honestly, me too...” I said.

Ignis unlocked our room and we went in. I lay back on the plush bed and I looked over at Ignis. 

“What’s on the agenda tomorrow?”

“Well, we’re going to leave Tilly and John unfortunately to go check out the Hoffman mansion in the late evening. During the day, I thought we’d check out your Jennie Wade house and do the daytime tour. Then on Saturday night, we are slated to stay the night there.”

“I still can’t believe you pulled strings like that.” 

Ignis laughed. “It’s a gift really.”

I chuckled. “What else?”

“Maybe tour the battlefield? I hear that place is haunted as hell, but no one is allowed inside after dark.”

“Can’t pull strings on that, eh?”

“As much as I’d love to, I’m not gonna go there with the historical society and all that...”

I nodded. Ignis excused himself a moment later and he popped into the adjoining bathroom. He emerged a few minutes later dressed in a white t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. I rolled off the bed and I popped in the bathroom after him, dressing in my batman pj pants and a blue tank top.

“Batman?” Ignis said with a smile.

“Oh hush. I shoulda brought my Joker pants...”

Ignis laughed. He slipped his glasses off and he turned out the light on his side of the nightstand between us. 

“’Night, Ari.”

“’Night, Ignis. Sleep well.” I said, turning off my light.

I slipped into quiet slumber a few moments later. A few hours later, I was awakened by the sound of a child crying. I blinked my eyes open. Ignis was still snoring away. I looked around the room in the pitch blackness. I reached for the audio recorder on the table in between Ignis’ bed and mine. I turned it on. 

“Hello?” I whispered.

The sobbing stopped momentarily and yet another apparition appeared before me. It was a small boy. He sat on the bottom half of my bed and he looked up at me with wide eyes. His hair swept across his forehead. He didn’t look more than seven years old. He turned to me and he smiled gently.

“Hi...” 

My eyes widened but I tried to remain calm. “What’s your name?”

“B-billy...”

“Hi there, Billy. I’m Arielle… what’s wrong? Why were you crying?”

“Arielle’s a pretty name!”

“Thank you!”

“I’m crying because I’m sick and it hurts...”

“Sorry to hear that, Billy...”

“It’s alright… Miss Tilly usually makes me feel better when she’s around...”

“Well that’s good.” I said.

“Arielle?”

“Yes, Billy?”

“Am I going to die?”

“I don’t know, Billy… Just know that it’ll all be alright… no matter what...”

Billy stopped talking for a moment. “Thank you, Miss Arielle… I’m going to go back to my room and get some rest. Good night...”

“Good night Billy...”

Billy vanished from the bottom of my bed. I let out a sad sigh. I switched the recorder off and I set it gently on the nightstand. I lay back against the pillows and I closed my eyes. I fell asleep slowly… but not before hearing footsteps in the attic above us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY HELL this took forever!!!! Research is the biggest buzzkill ever! I've got the whole story mapped out, I just need to actually write it.. -.-


End file.
